Yankees acquire Adeiny Hechavarria from Pirates

A late night trade! The Yankees have acquired infielder Adeiny Hechavarria from the Pirates for cash or a player to be named later, the team announced. Ryan Bollinger was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot. I assume the trade went down before tonight’s 11:59pm ET postseason-eligibility deadline.

Hechavarria, 29, went from the Rays to the Pirates earlier this month. He’s hitting .254/.287/.342 (69 wRC+) with four homers in 284 total plate appearances this season. Hechavarria has never been much of a hitter. He’s a very good defender though, and gives the Yanks another infield option in September.

The Rays designated Hechavarria for assignment earlier this month and are paying his $5.9M salary, so there’s basically no impact on the luxury tax plan. The Yankees must see Hechavarria as a better option than Gio Urshela, who is currently with Triple-A Scranton. Hopefully this doesn’t mean Didi Gregorius’ heel will take longer to heal than expected.